"I'd hate for people to talk. You know—say you're trying too hard for your age."

The dig landed exactly where she meant it to. And my son? He strolled up with a grin plastered across his face.

"See, Mom? Muriel's really learning to think about other people's feelings. You two are going to get along great."

Muriel rolled her eyes at him, unimpressed, and followed the associate toward a pile of marked-down clothes in the back.

She spotted a plain white T-shirt on top of the heap, raised an eyebrow, and pinched it between two fingers.

"Wrap this up."

Dylan scrambled over to pay.

I glanced at the receipt. $2.99.

Then I looked at the size on the tag. There was no way it would fit me.

Before I could open my mouth, Dylan grabbed my arm and pulled me straight into the jewelry store next door.

"Muriel bought you an outfit, so you should buy her some jewelry to return the gesture."

Seeing my own son take her side this shamelessly, my vision went white and I nearly passed out on the spot.

I shoved the shopping bag straight into his arms.

"$2.99, right? I'll send you the money. As for the gold jewelry, whoever wants it can buy it themselves."

Muriel's expression changed instantly.

"What's your mom trying to say?"

Dylan rushed to her side like a servant attending royalty, loudly flagging down a sales associate and demanding they bring out the most expensive gold piece in the store.

When the associate carried over a gold phoenix crown worth over a million dollars, I turned on my heel and walked away.

Muriel jabbed a finger at my retreating back, seething.

"See? I told you your mom is a conniving snake! She's doing this on purpose to humiliate me!"

"I'm upset now. Are we even going to be okay after this?"

"She's trying to drive a wedge between us!"

Dylan whipped around to face me, red in the face, panic in his eyes.

"Mom! I'd have to buy Muriel gold jewelry for the wedding anyway. Are you seriously going to stand in our way?!"

Stand in their way?

When they needed money, I was "Mom." The second I stopped opening my wallet, I became an obstacle on their path to happily ever after.

I genuinely had no idea what I'd ever done to Muriel to make her despise me from the moment we met.

I turned back calmly and looked at Muriel, who was still carrying on at the top of her lungs beside my son.